


insomnia

by relinquished



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, i need them to be soft i need them to be LOVING, super fuckin canon divergent, varian survives the legion and garrosh doesnt escape his trial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 14:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21037448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/relinquished/pseuds/relinquished
Summary: garrosh finds himself in stormwind.





	insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> probably ooc as hell, but oh well, i need more varrosh, since the most recent fic is from september!!! i hope yall enjoy, and remember, my curiouscat on my profile is open for requests and ideas.

When the king had bombarded him in Nagrand and invited him to Stormwind as a refugee, a lone man with the guilt of the universe on his shoulders, he had outright refused. He didn’t deserve it, the kindness he saw in the man’s eyes. He remembered a time when there was nothing but pure hatred, a time when the king would’ve slit his throat in his sleep if he was given the chance. Garrosh would’ve done the same. Now, though, after all they had been through together, there was only a soft look of love, of worry, of fear. Not of him, but for him. For the man that stood before him, once a great orc and the leader of his people, now tired and broken. The trial, the actions that lead up to it, had left the orc but a shadow of his former self. 

When Varian had come back after his initial refusal, Garrosh hesitated. He knew by now that the king would not force him into coming - that he was doing this out of the kindness of his own heart. He had snarled and crossed his arms, his sleeves straining against his muscles as they looked at each other. The orc had taken to wearing shirts to cover his tattoos, to hide them from the shame and the looks of whoever could’ve stumbled upon him. He grit his teeth and hesitantly accepted, not having the energy to fight.

When Varian had taken his larger hand in his own, light and careful as if he were going to break, he let out a shuddering sob, his throat tightening as he breathed out. He was guided to where their mounts were, where his always was and brought him to the base the Alliance had set up, back when they had fought against the Iron Horde.

Garrosh had wondered what would’ve been different if he had escaped his trial, had run back to Nagrand as he had planned all that time ago. Perhaps nothing - some events were set in stone, and no matter how much you attempted to fight them, to push them away, they would always come for you. The base was barely busy - a few Champions littered about and some soldiers on guard and such. When they saw Garrosh’s large form approaching, they readied their weapons, swords drawn and bodies positioned to strike - before they saw their King, holding up a hand, forcing the soldiers to allow them both to pass. 

The few champions that were there seemed to have a mixed array of emotions - a few shocked faces, the anger in the eyes of a worgen, a soft smile on the lips of a night elf. He swallowed thickly as Varian’s horse stopped, the king dismounting and offering a hand to the other. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, climbing off his wolf and taking it, furrowing his brow as he was pulled towards a portal. 

Garrosh disliked magic - specifically the arcane. Portals always made him uneasy, but when Varian held his hand so softly, so warmly, he felt his nerves ebb away, and suddenly he was in the middle of the keep, staring at Varian’s throne. He heard the armor of Varian’s guards rattle as they tensed, but didn’t move, and he spared them a wary glance, his form hunched over slightly. 

As they walked down a long hall, Varian explained that he had sought counsel with his nobles and fellow leaders, and had fought against them until they had agreed, hesitantly, to allow Garrosh refuge here. He was no longer allowed in the Horde - was a disgrace, an honorless orc, unneeded and unwanted by his kind. He clenched his fist and squinted away tears, breathing in sharply, trying, failing, to push back harsh memories of the trial, before the trial. Everything was hitting him too hard, all at once, he couldn’t think-

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. Hard, sturdy. He blinked and looked at Varian, feeling the cold air of the keep hitting wet cheeks. He mentally cursed and met the king’s eyes, seeing concern. He chewed his lip and tried to brush him off, tried to stand straight, but Varian refused, dragging his hand down Garrosh’s arm and placing it firmly in his hand, pulling him into a room. A bedroom - Garrosh realized. A royal one.

Varian had brought him to his room, and that caused heat to spread up the orc’s neck, looking down at the King. He sat himself down on the bed at the guidance of the human, looking down at his hands and refusing to make eye contact with Varian as the king moved about the room, grabbing various things and talking about the plans he had for them, to allow Garrosh to ease into the Alliance. He wasn’t paying attention, the ringing in his ears too great as he was blindly guided throughout the day. Throughout the months.  
  


Now, Garrosh sat on the edge of a bed much too plush for his liking, staring into the inky black of the room. If you had asked him the time, he would not have been able to tell you - he hadn’t slept yet. Light dimly filtered in through the curtains that blocked the balcony, the night air fluttering in quietly as the city of Stormwind slept. Behind him, he heard the gentle snores of his lover, and he believed that was the only thing keeping him from truly delving into his thoughts at the moment. 

He pressed his hand to his face and dragged it down, suppressing a groan as he adjusted himself. Resting his arms on his knees, he slouched forward and closed his eyes, thought after thought bombarding him with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Gritting his teeth, he spared a glance back at the sleeping king.  
  
Varian had rolled over, facing away from him as he slept, the blanket dragged up to his chin. Garrosh swallowed and looked away, looking down at his hands as he thought. They day Varian had brought him to his new home was blurred, scuffed by his fears and anxieties of the day. He swallowed thickly and clenched his fists, his eyes squeezing shut as he breathed in harshly.  
  
He didn’t deserve the king’s kindness, the care the other man had shown him, the love he had showered him in since the day they had reconnected. He was a disgrace, an awful and sorry excuse for an orc. He failed his people, the horde, everybody. He crossed his arms and hugged himself, dull claws digging into flesh. He wanted to go back, needed to go back, to fix his mistakes, to stop himself before he ever dared to become the thing he had. Ne needed, needed, needed-  
  
A hand clasped around his shoulder and his eyes snapped open, looking back into the pale eyes of his king. He let out a sob he didn’t know he was holding in and his posture eased, his body slumping back into his lover. Strong arms wrapped themselves around his middle, Varian’s nose pressing into the curve of his neck and scruff scratching comfortably against tan skin. There were no words, no sound, that needed to be said between them as he was pulled down into the bed, the king’s breath on his skin calming him a bit.  
  
His thoughts drifted away as Varian took his face in much smaller hands, looking at him with worry. Garrosh shook his head, nudging his face between the king’s neck and shoulder, his breathing calming as they held each other in the darkness of the room. He wanted to ask Varian 1000 questions he had already asked, already gotten answers to, but he didn’t want to disrupt the calm. He closed his eyes as he felt his mate breathe against him, finally relaxing for the first time that night. He ran his hand through Varian’s hair, earning a soft hum as the king pulled away from his chest, looking up at him tiredly.  
  
For the first time, he spoke.  
  
“If you ever have trouble sleeping,” He began, tracing a calloused finger over faded tattoos - intricate designs that once held pride, “It’s okay to wake me. I’m here.” Pale eyes looked up into bright orange, inhuman eyes that almost glowed in the darkness of the night. Garrosh grunted, rolling onto his back and pulling the human onto his chest as he went, earning a small chuckle. The orc spoke, voice tired.  
  
“I know.”  
  
The words were simple. An acknowledgment of what Varian had said. They both knew Garrosh wouldn’t wake him if he had issues sleeping, at least not anytime soon, but it was the thought that counted. He pressed his forehead against Varian’s, closing his eyes and huffing out a breath through his nose.  
  
“Did,” He swallowed, “Did I wake you this time?” Varian shook his head, running a tentative hand down Garrosh’s chest, humming softly before he spoke.  
  
“No,” He looked down at the hand that was currently pressed again’s the orc’s naval, “I just felt that I needed to wake up. I don’t think I’ll be heading back to bed anytime soon, though.” He let out a small chuckle and dragged his hand over to rest on the orc’s hip, pressing a soft kiss to his chin.  
  
Garrosh looked down and cupped the human’s face, gently pressing his lips to the other’s. He was careful, gentle, trying not to hit him with his tusks as they kissed, trying not to hurt him. Smaller hands rested against his biceps as Varian pushed against him a bit, deepening the kiss as they laid there, tangled in each other’s arms and the sheets of the bed. There was no heat, no rough passion that there had once been, back in the icy chill of Northrend. Now, there were just comforts, love, lazy kisses and soft touches. A large hand tangled in dark hair, gently petting and scratching at the human’s scalp as they purred against each other, happy to just be together without the pressure of politics or battle.  
  
Garrosh was happy. Finally, truly, happy. He knew Varian was too.


End file.
